Who came up as a loser by the end of WWE Raw this week? With Survivor Series looming, it’s a bad time to be on the decline.
As much as we’d all like to think everything is sunshine, roses, and kittens, sometimes people hit a rough patch. It’s no different for WWE superstars. Sometimes, they’re just in a funk. After WWE Raw this week, there’s a few superstars who fall into this category.
This isn’t to say there’s no hope for these particular superstars to come back to the promised land. It’s WWE – things can change in a heartbeat. But at the present, here are three superstars who are in need of a big boost in the coming weeks.
Bayley
Let the record show that I am one of the world’s biggest Bayley fans. Here’s a photo of me in full on Bayley cosplay outside Barclays Center for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Would someone who’s not a fan go to such lengths? I literally wept when she beat Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship that night.
But that just goes to show the difference between NXT booking and WWE booking. Here we are, just two weeks out of Survivor Series, with a pair of spots left on the women’s team for the Raw vs. SmackDown clash, and Bayley gets shunned. She was basically the punching bag for Nia Jax (and Alicia Fox) this week. Sure, she helped out a bit at the end, but Sasha Banks did the lion’s share of the work in this victory.
After the match ended, Fox added Sasha to the team, but made no mention of Bayley. the Hugger just kind of sat there. She didn’t fight, complain – nothing. Total apathy was the best she could muster. It’s a shame, too, because Bayley should have been “can’t miss.”
Hopefully next week on Raw, Bayley will earn her way onto the Survivor Series team. If not, I hope everyone is ready for Dana Brooke to be contestant number 5!
Kurt Angle
Okay, hear me out on this one. You’re probably reading this saying, “Man, guy dresses in a Bayley costume, then thinks Kurt Angle is a loser? Has he lost his mind?” While the answer to that is, “Possibly,” I think I have a good explanation.
Right now, everything Kurt Angle does is based on making Raw appear to be the premier show in WWE. He’s trying to make big matches every Monday night, and he’s trying to claim brand supremacy at Survivor Series. He was forced to be the captain, so I can’t fault him for lacing them up again. But his choices for teammates, while mostly great, show that he’s not really thinking things through all the way.
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It’s a no-brainer to pick Braun Strowman. You may not be able to control him, but as long as he’s got quality competition he’ll be fine. But picking Finn Balor and Samoa Joe? Those two get along these days about as well as Tom and Jerry, Itchy and Scratchy, and Raw and SmackDown. Sure, they’re both fantastic competitors, and Angle admires their fire. But they’re probably going to kill each other on the apron at Survivor Series. Not a good way to establish brand supremacy.
And then, there’s the nepotism selection. Angle’s fifth competitor didn’t have to earn diddly squat – he just chose his kid, Jason Jordan. I can’t believe I’m siding with Booker T on this one, but come on, man. At least make him win a match more important than a “guitar on a pole” match against Elias.
Throw in some jabs at SmackDown and a “methinks he doth protest too much” defense of the Daniel Bryan attack, and Kurt had a rough night this week. Maybe it’s the jet lag.
Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins
The now former Raw Tag Team Champions have no one to blame but themselves for ending up in this column this week. They might point fingers at The New Day and SmackDown as a whole, but the championship loss in 110% on Rollins and Ambrose.
The Shield Boys were in the midst of a great match with Cesaro and Sheamus – and these two teams have had plenty of those before. All of a sudden, Big E’s voice blasted through the Manchester Arena. New Day’s music started, and the SmackDown superstars appeared in the crowd.
Now, this is the point where it’s important to remember that a tag team title match is still taking place. The referee never called for the bell, he never counted a ten count, nothing. You would think Rollins and Ambrose – the Tag Team Champions at this point – would understand and know the rules. Rollins had even been a tag champ before!
But instead, Ambrose and Rollins just kind of sat there dumbfounded as New Day executed their “pump fake.” Kurt Angle brought the entire roster out to ringside to prevent further casualties, and still the tag champs had no idea the match was still on.
They learned it pretty quickly, though, when Sheamus hit Rollins with a Brogue Kick to score a pinfall and make The Bar three time Raw Tag Team Champions. It was a poorly timed miscue from The Shield, and now they’re just another team – no more championships.
Next: WWE Raw 5 Biggest Stars: The Bar Reclaims Tag Team Gold
The silver lining here? Roman Reigns has been advertised to return to action next week on Raw. With The Big Dog returning, The Shield will be at full strength. And there’s three of them, and three members of the New Day…